“Our people, Our place, Our Heritage” – a project to save Chilton’s heritage at risk

July 22, 2025

The Miners Welfare Recreation Grounds (Trust), in partnership with capturefilms, are developing an exciting project in Chilton that will see the Miners Welfare Pavilion restored to its former glory.

Whilst the pavilion park in Chilton remains a popular place for locals to participate in various leisure and recreational activities, the pavilion building itself remains underutilised and, unless vital structural issues are addressed soon, it could face closure.

However, representatives from the trust and local company capturefilms have made grand plans to restore the pavilion back to its original 1924 design and transform the inside of the building into a heritage and cultural centre, that will house exhibitions, a photographic archive and hundreds of artifacts that tell the complete story of the history of the town.

Ben Race from capturefilms said “Over the last eight years, I have delivered a number of heritage focused projects in Chilton and Windlestone and I have collected thousands of photos, videos and stories. These items don’t belong to me, they belong to the community and I’m very honoured and excited to be working on a project that will allow us to give all this history back to the community and safeguard it for future generations.”

The partnership has already secured a portion of the £250,000 funding they require and, with the support of Beamish Museum, Chilton Town Council and Durham County Council, have submitted a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to secure the rest of the money they need.

Sue Reece, Chilton’s Mayor and Chair of the Welfare Trust added “ We are custodian of the magnificent facilities that the Mining families in Chilton worked hard to create and maintain, as Trustees we know it is our responsibility to continue to ensure that we not only fulfil the original purpose of the park but ensure that it remains active and relevant in a modern cultural landscape, this will secure its future and Chilton’s heritage for many years to come. “

It is hoped that the project will commence in September of this year with events planned to engage the local community and ensure that the project exceeds its goals.

For further information and updates, you can visit the soon to be launched Chilton Miners Welfare Trust website and ‘Chilton & Windlestone 150 Years’ on Facebook.